Gnarnia Product Review: Vans S8 Mids

A problem that I've had since I began riding fixed is finding comfortable riding shoes. Some are too thin, some are too fat, but some get pretty close to perfect. A lot of fixed gear riders use the Vans Authentic but in my opinion, they are too thin and they don't give much support. Instead of going for the Authentics, I decided to go for the Vans S8 Mids for a few reasons. The main reasons were that they were on sale, they were a mid shoe, and I love the sole of Vans shoes. My first impression was that they were a little stiff but they fit into my straps extremely well. They were also comfortable on my feet and gripped the pedal really well. After you break these bad boys in, your feet will feel like they are in heaven. They aren't thick so its easy to move around in but they aren't as thin as the Authentics. The mid heel also offers an increase in support for your ankles and because it wasn't too thick, my range of motion did not feel crippled. Despite all of this, the shoe was not perfect. My toe broke through the top of one shoe and the side pieces of the shoe wore down (not too fast but not as long as I would want). The sole of the shoe also broke down kinda fast although they still felt really good until the last month or so of usage. A mutual aspect of this shoe was that they lasted a decent amount of time, not too long but not too fast either. If I had the opportunity, I would definitely buy these or the Vans Half Cabs (I hear they are really good). They are a fantastic shoe and they fit really well for clips and straps. Overall, I think I would give them a 8.5/10 and would definitely recommended them to a friend.